Danbury High School Team Places Sixth in National Academic WorldQuest Competition

Saturday, April 4, 2009

 

On April 4th the Danbury High School team of Benjamin Altman, Nick Arconti, Ibad Shah and Chris Forstrom competed in the National Academic WorldQuest in Washington, DC with 40 other teams from around the country.  Testing their knowledge on topics identified by the Global Strategy Institute of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Danbury students took sixth place in the overall competition.

 Mr. Ken Keller, social studies teacher at the high school and a recent recipient of the Addazio Award, the highest honor from the Connecticut Council for Social Studies, was their advisor for the competition and traveled with the students to Washington, DC. 

The National Academic WorldQuest is organized World Affairs Councils of America, to promote greater understanding of global issues among young people. 

                        Benjamin Altman, Chris Forstrom, Nick Arconti, Ibad Shah and Mr. Ken Keller

     

                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The National Competition, Washington, DC, April 4, 2009

 

 

 

Danbury High School Team Wins Academic WorldQuest 2009

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Academic WorldQuest is a national high school quiz competition created by the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA), an affiliation of 86 councils around the country dedicated to educating people, especially students, about international affairs. The World Affairs Forum hosts its regional competition at UCONN/ Stamford annually.  Our winning team this year - DANBURY HIGH SCHOOL - will travel to Washington, DC - expenses paid -  to compete with the other regional winners at the national Academic WorldQuest on April 4, 2009.

Last year the World Affairs Forum sponsored Scarsdale High School’s team at the national competition and they finished fifth in the nation.  In 2007 our winner, Daniel Hand High School (Madison, CT), won the national competition. The four-student team brought home a championship plaque and prize money of $1,000 each. We are looking forward to great things from Danbury High School this year as well!

This year questions focused on major global trends identified by the Seven Revolutions Initiative of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Seven topic categories drew on that program’s work: Population Issues in Developing Countries, Water, Alternative Fuels, Biotechnology and Genetics, Connectivity, Globalization and Transnational Crime.  Germany formed an eighth category, and there was also a Current Events category.

Eleven highs schools from Fairfield and Westchester Counties competed in this year's event.  Mamaroneck High School took second place and Fox Lane High School took third place.  MasterCard Worldwide, Xerox Foundation, Brightline Partners, The Hageman Foundation, and Janney Montgomery Scott generously sponsored the student event.

 

The First Place Team from Danbury High School

Nick Arconti, Ibad Shah, Emily Wyner, Advisor Ken Keller and Benjamin Altman

The Second Place Team from Mamaroneck High School

Rory O'Connor, Giancarlo Riso, Ben Viagas and Alec Genecin

                                                                                                                                

The Third Place Team from Fox Lane

  Matthew Solowey, Matthew Planell, Jack Solowey and Harmon Siegel

 

The Forum Volunteers:  Ram Ramcharandas, Lori Murray,
AWQ Chairman George Paik, Forum Chairman Bill Galvin,
Wendy Prince, Heather Knapp and Forum President Gene Rostov